>
>  >It is hard for Randy , Stan , juanse and myself  to express our opinion
>> on a
>> mainly hobby list. Dee's bees sit in one location. Our bees are on the
>> move.
>
> >By problems downstream I suspect Dee may be thinking rather longer term;
in
generations of queens rather than of workers.  By supplementary feeding you
are doing nothing to de-select those that can't cope unaided with the local
environment.

I've got no beef with Dee.  In my presentations I strongly support the
development of locally-adapted stocks.  However, west of the Rockies it
doesn't rain during the summer, and pasture dries up.  I'm amazed when I
travel east to see how much easier beekeeping is where it rains!

Any rancher would not think twice about supplemental feeding his starving
cattle during drought, no matter how well adapted the stock was.  I do the
same with my bees.

The point is, as has been mentioned several times, as soon as you establish
a beeyard, it is no longer natural.  Do to competition, there may not be
adequate nutrition between flows.  So you can either let the bees starve
(due to the unnatural density of colonies), move them to better pasture, or
feed.

Even with locally adapted stock, beekeepers will seek out the most
productive apiary sites.  Even locally adapted stock may not survive
everywhere in a locality.

Some claim that feeding bees will result in a cascade of bee health
problems, not just an overall genetic weakening.  I dispute that contention.

Randy Oliver

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